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Developmental regulation and tissue‐specific localization of calmodulin mRNA in the protochordate Ciona intestinalis
Author(s) -
Gregorio Anna Di,
Villani Maria Grazia,
Locascio Annamaria,
Ristoratore Filomena,
Aniello Francesco,
Branno Margherita
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
development, growth and differentiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.864
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1440-169X
pISSN - 0012-1592
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-169x.1998.t01-2-00003.x
Subject(s) - ciona intestinalis , biology , complementary dna , calmodulin , open reading frame , cdna library , ciona , microbiology and biotechnology , northern blot , messenger rna , rapid amplification of cdna ends , peptide sequence , neurula , gene , embryogenesis , genetics , biochemistry , gastrulation , enzyme
A full‐length cDNA encoding a highly conserved calmodulin was isolated from a cDNA library prepared from hatched larvae of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis . Sequence analysis has identified a 447 b.p. open reading frame, encoding a putative protein of 149 amino acid residues, with a predicted molecular weight of 16.8 kDa, showing 85–98% identity to known calmodulins. Northern blot analysis revealed a single transcript of about 0.8 kb in length, which was maternally expressed and progressively increased during development, until late tail‐bud stage. Whole‐mount in situ hybridizations, carried out on embryos at different stages of development, showed that starting from the neurula stage, the C. intestinalis calmodulin ( Ci‐CaM ) expression became restricted to the neuroectoderm and that in larvae it was specifically detected in the nervous system.